Related Articles

Bright and cheery buttercup or rich and sultry saffron -- yellow walls are a bold statement. Yellow instantly lifts the spirit, but too much of it in a concentrated area can be overwhelming. Determining which accessory colors, floors and furniture best match your yellow walls helps temper emotional responses to the room. Yellow plays nicely with many colors, including its sister primaries, its complementary violets and its cousin colors, as well as basic white.

Primary Colors

Basic and bold, bright yellow looks at home with its sister primary colors, blue and red. Accent pillows, table linens, chairs and painted furniture in blue or red create undeniable energy in a yellow room. An apt color scheme for a child's playroom, office or modern kitchen, the primary palette may not be equally welcome in a bedroom or living room. Incorporate neutral colored rugs or curtains, such as pale gray or oatmeal, to prevent color overload when you are juggling these heavy hitters.

Complementary Colors

Directly across the color wheel from yellow is its complementary color, violet. You can find this theoretically perfect pairing in nature, in flowers such as the violet and pansy. Yellow walls paired with a deep jewel-toned purple couch, easy chair or ottoman create a rich and inviting retreat. Or use partners in the lighter purple tints, such as lilac or lavender, to create a softer mood. Incorporating accent pieces in varying shades like dark plum or eggplant creates more interest.

Cousin Colors

Matching yellow walls doesn't necessarily mean reaching out for opposites. You can choose two to three colors in a row on the color wheel either to the left or right of yellow to create a harmonious palette. For a warm look, proceed clockwise to yellow-orange, orange and red-orange. If you want a cooler mood, choose yellow-green, green and blue-green instead. Remember that any of these colors can be used in lighter or darker shades to create tonal differences. A cluster of side-by-side colors is called an analogous color scheme.

White and Woods

White curtains, white trim, white painted farmer's tables -- these never fail when yellow walls are in the mix. Using pure white in a yellow room serves to showcase the yellow for what it is -- the lightest hue on the color wheel. White plus yellow gives off the clean, crisp feeling of entering a sunny country kitchen and smelling clean laundry or cracking a fresh egg into a ceramic bowl. Natural wood tones, especially honey and blonde, help keep the mood light and bright.

About the Author

Cynthia A. Mulcahy has been published in Portsmouth, New Hampshire's "Accent Home & Garden Magazine", a home decor publication. She also provided copy for the magazine's website and copy edited a 2009 issue. Mulcahy holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a minor in justice studies from the University of New Hampshire.